In the 52 weeks to June 24, 2001, the total market saw a year-on-year decline of 1.4% in value, tea being the main loser as buyers move out of the market. This goes against the general trend in packaged groceries which saw a rise in value. Conversely, volume sales of hot beverages have seen an increase across all the sectors, except tea, as a result of price cutting and an increase in promotional activity. The average spend on this market has decreased year-on-year ­ led by the drop in tea sales. Ground coffee has been a notable exception with a year-on-year rise of 16% in the average spend per buyer ­ the largest increase in the category. The largest sector in the hot beverages category is instant coffee (44% value share) followed by tea (36%). The ground coffee and herbal tea sectors are the only two markets in growth, with herbal tea growing at the faster rate. Nescafé Original is the largest brand followed by PG Tips Pyramid bags, Tetley Soft Pack bags, Gold Blend standard and Kenco Rappor standard. Own label accounts for 22% of the value of the total market. Asda Great Value range has had a significant impact on the own label sector in both instant coffee and tea. Instant coffee is showing a 3.1% increase in volume, the result of much buy-one-get-one-free activity within the market. The premium sector has seen a substantial increase in actual volume and volume share largely due to last year's relaunch of the Gold Blend range. Tea is the only sector showing a decrease in both volume and value year-on-year. This decline has failed to be stymied by a price cutting strategy across the market. Tea bags are continuing to grow their value share of the tea market helped by new product launches and the increased popularity of the soft tea packaging introduced by Tetley. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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